Mounting of license plates



June 17, 1941. CAMPBELL 2,245,851

MOUNTING OF'LICENSE PLATES Filed July 15, 1939 I nvenioz': dilphomo 8. Cam?) bell,

way

Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOUNTING OF LICENSE PLATES Application July 15, 1939, Serial No. 284,725

Claims.

This invention relates to the mounting of license plates on automobiles, and the object is to provide facilities for securing the plate which will be inexpensive and of attractive appearance, yet hold the plate firmly without rattling. While not in all its aspects limited thereto, the invention is particularly adapted to the securing of plates which are fitted with ornamental frames such as the one shown in the patent to McAdams 2,136,905, Nov. 15, 1938.

My invention will be well understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, where- Fig. 1 is a rear view of a license plate fitted with an ornamental frame and mounted on a supporting bracket in a manner exemplary of the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on an enlarged scale on the lines 22 and 33 of Fig. 1, respectively; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the hooks or clips used in the construction.

Referring to the drawing, I have there shown a license-plate P fitted with a frame F comprising a series of telescoping sections in the form of split cylindrical tubes fitting over the edges of the plate. A primary reason for the use of a frame is to give an attractive appearance and therefore such a frame is ordinarily chromium plated or otherwise attractively finished.

I here show the framed plate as secured to a bracket generally similar in construction to those now commonly in use and to which license plate frames are bolted through the holes provided in the plates. In the construction here shown the bracket comprises a channeled upright 6 in which slides an extension 8 provided with an adjusting slot III receiving the bolt I2 which traverses the upright. The extension 8 is provided at its upper end with a terminal boltreceiving hole I4 (Fig. 3). Mounted on the bracket is a transverse arm I6 having longitudinal slots I8 therein at either side of the upright. Such a bracket as I have described is usually painted black and neither in design nor finish is attractive to the eye. In accordance with my invention the bracket may be proportioned and adjusted to lie completely within the projected outline of the plate at the rear thereof and I provide attaching means for securing the plate to the bracket inconspicuous in themselves and adapted to be attractively finished to harmonize with the frame F.

In the form of the invention shown there is a three-point attachment between the framed plate and the bracket at the distal portions of the arms by means of sheet metal clips or hooks 20 which preferably, as herein, are counterparts, and which may be attractively finished, as, for example, by chromium plating, to harmonize with the frame F. As best seen in Fig. 4, the clips 20 have a hook portion proper or throat 22, which may be reinforced by an expressed rib 24, adapted snugly to receive and cradle the side pieces of the frame and preferably arranged to snap past the diameter thereof. They also comprise the fiat shank or stem 26 adapted to lie fiat against an arm of the bracket and provided with a central-bolt-receiving opening in which in the example shown a bolt 28 is permanently positioned by staking. The upper end of the stem or shank is herein shown as split in two places and the lateral portions 30 are bent forwardly while the central portion '32 in aligmnent with the bolt-receivingopening is bent rearwardly.

' To secure to the bracket the margins of the plate which lie adjacent the transverse arm I6, the bolts 28 may be extended through the slots I8. In this position the lug 32 overlies the upper edge of the arm and prevents any twisting or disalignment of the clip relative to the arm, the clip being positioned and held at right angles thereto. The forwardly .bent flanges 30 provide an abutment for the back of the plate, as best seen in Fig. 2, insuring proper engagement of the throat portion 22 about the frame F and uniform exposure of the bills of the hooks at the front face of the assembly. At the extremity of the vertical arm 8, the bolt 28, as seen in Fig. 3, is engaged through hole I4 and the lug 32 will enter the slot I0 cooperating therewith as a key with a keyway While the parts 30 engage the back of the plate P as in the case of the clips or hooks carried by the transverse arm It.

The vertical extension 8 may be adjusted by means of the bolt and slot connection III-I2 to correspond with the height of the license plate which is to be mounted. The hooks 20 here shown along the lower edge of the plate may be adjusted along the arm I6 in the slots I8 to suit the length of the plate. While I have herein shown the plate as mounted substantially symmetrically on the bracket, if the plate is a long one and would interfere with some adjacent feature of the car construction, either'by actual physical contact therewith or by giving an appearance of crowding if the plate were mounted symmetrically on the bracket, the plate may be mounted asymmetrically by means of the construction shown and independently of the openings which are provided in the plate for mounting purposes by the issuing authorities which are not utilized in the present instance.

As will be apparent from Fig. 1, the plate completely covers the mounting bracket and-hides the same. I have not thought it necessary to illustrate the front of the plate, but it will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 3 that at the front only the bills of the hooks are exposed which are neat and inconspicuous, and when a frame is used on the plate and the hooks are finished to match, they will harmonize with such frame.

When a frame comprising telescoping sections as herein shown is used, the mounting means disclosed will be suflicient to hold in adjusted position the sliding joints along the vertical edges of the plate and maintain the sections which fit the horizontal edges in position thereon. I have herein shown those sections which engage the vertical edges of the plate as retained by means of clips 34 such as are disclosed in the McAdams patent above referred to.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive; reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Means for supporting a license plate comprising a bracket having a vertical arm and a transverse arm having slots, means for securing one edge portion of the plate to the vertical arm remote from the transverse arm, and a pair of hooks slidably connected to the transverse arm through the slots and having throats adapted to receive an edge of the plate and each also having a flange portion to fit a surface of the arm parallel to the axis of the slot and a forwardly extended abutment portion to contact the'rear face of the plate. 7

2. Means for supporting a license plate comprising a bracket having a vertical arm and a transverse arm having slots, means for securing one edge portion of the plate to the vertical arm remote from the transverse arm, and a pair of hooks having throats to receive the edge of the plate, bolts extending from the stems of the hooks through the slots, the end of the stem remote from the hook being forwardly turned to provide an abutment for the back side of the plate.

3. Means for supporting a license plate comprising a bracket having a vertical arm and a transverse arm having slots, means for securing one edge portion of the plate to the vertical arm remote from the transverse arm, and a pair of hooks having throats to receive the edge of the plate, bolts extending from the stems of the hooks through the slots, the end of the stem remote from the hook being split and a portion forwardly turned to provide an abutment for the back side of the plate and a portion rearwardly turned to fit a side of the transverse arm.

4; In combination with a frame for receiving and supporting the edges of an automobile llcense plate, a set of hooks having throats receiving and snugly cradling the frame and having stems extending inwardly at the back side, the stems having portions extending forwardly substantially to the plane of the portion of the frame which engages the edges of the plate whereby they will bear on the back of a plate assembled in the frame and means located within the projected outline of the frame for securing the stems of the hooks to a supporting bracket received behind the framed plate.

5. In combination with a frame for receiving and supporting the edges of an automobile license plate, a set of hooks having throats receiving and snugly cradling the frame and having stems extending inwardly at the back side, the stems having portions extending forwardly substantially to the plane of the portion of the frame which engages the edges of the plate whereby they will bear on the back of a plate assembled in the frame and means located within the projected outline of the frame for securing the stems of the hooks to a supporting bracket received behind the framed plate, the stems of the hooks also having rearwardly projecting rectangular flanges adapted to cooperate with surfaces of such a bracket to restrain angular movement of the hooks relative to the bracket.

ALPHONSO S. CAMPBELL. 

